The Letter
by Archangel5272
Summary: Sally Jackson is cleaning Percy's room when she finds a mysterious letter crumpled in a box given by him years ago. She finally unfolds it and for the first time, she is in terms with him happy far away.


**_The Letter._**

 ** _A pjo fanfic. Written by Archangel5272._**

 ** _Please leave your thoughts in comments_**!

Check out the original content here - /p/k013db

A mother's love. It surpasses every form of affection humans have known. May it be your partner, your friend or your siblings, nothing can defy how much the one who bore you cares for your well-being. They may be harsh at time. They may not know that their words affect you in a wrong way. They may hit you, scold you or lock you up in your room. That doesn't mean that they don't love you. Everything they do, is for pure and unadulterated love. A love which nothing else can provide, a warmth beyond life. All they expect in return is to be loved back, to be cherished in your happiness and get a simple smile back.

When Sally stared at the blurry, tear smotched piece of paper in her hand, she couldn't help but cry out in pure anguish. The handwriting wasn't neat or elegant, yet she smiled at the rugged folds and the uneven scribbles. It bore his mark, after all. Cleaning his room was something that she had been reluctant to do, but she had to move on now. She knew her son was happy.

Light flickered in the room, a pale yellow casting a foreboding glow on the paper, hiding the words as the folds cast their dark shadows on it. It had been so long since she had seen him. So long. Wiping the dust off the forgotten bed, she sat on it as sweat beaded her forehead. It was hot today, and the dusty room didn't help. Carefully propping herself up against a pillow, her brown strands covered her sadness, her eyes concentrated on what was in her hands.

Sally had never expected to find something like this written by her son. Percy was anything but a good writer. He hated writing, and the Dyslexia didn't help. Straightening up the piece of paper, her eyes scanned over it.

'Dear Mother'

It read, making her heart jump abruptly. The grammar was lousy, but that made her aging face smile even more.

'You probably won't find this, but I'm writing anyway." His confused face formed into her head, a smile on her face.

'I just wanted to apologize. You see, I know I scare you a lot whenever I go on quests. I promise you, the Gaia stuff would be the last one. I realized that I never properly thanked you for what you've done for me. I wasn't that bright growing up, yet you struggled for me. You lived with that maggot smelly Gabe, which wasn't nice to be honest.' Sally smiled, a small choked chuckle escaping her lips.

'All these years, I know I've probably given you a lot of stress with anticipation. I was going against Titans, of course. I just want to thank you for never losing your faith in me. You're the warmest person I know, and I'm so proud to be your son.' A choked sob resonated through the room, silence reigning the mother's world.

'I'm writing this for you because I don't want you to worry this time. I promise we will stop Gaia and you don't need to worry about me. Well, Annabeth is besides me and she says that I should credit her for the lack of spelling mistakes in the letter. So there's that. So mother...' Sally closed her eyes, a hint of a smile on her face as she pictured her son, his hair all over the place and that smirk on his face. She looked at the letter again, continuing.

'.. I want to thank you for giving birth to me. For all the warm hugs. For being there when I needed someone. I want to thank you for everything you've done for me. I want to say sorry for every mistake I've made, for every time I've made you worry. I want you to know that I'm safe, and we will have an amazing blue food party when I come back. Annabeth here says that I'm cheesy, but I'd like to say that I'm not. Also, I love you more than anything, even blue food and right there with Annabeth (Don't tell her, but maybe more. She's looking into her laptop on the Argo). So yeah, the entire point of this letter was to tell you to keep a whole lot of blue cookies ready for us when we return. I'm bringing some friends. You're going to love Leo! Thank you for reading this, whenever you do. I'm sending this via Hermes express because it's cheap and Annabeth has a discount coupon with her. To be honest, we're hiding this inside the box of books I'm sending you. Annabeth says you'll like them. Bye! See you soon!"

The letter ended abruptly, her fingers moving on own as they caressed the handwriting, the faded ink almost making it invisible at some places. After a few seconds, the woman couldn't feel anything but melancholy, her eyes watering. The room was filled with resonant sobs in another second. The woman cried out with all her heart, unfathomable sadness deep within her. She wanted to caress his face when he came back, grinning at the door after defeating the earth goddess. She wanted to hug him, to smack him on the head for disappearing and making her hair go grey. She wanted to hear about all he had to say, scold him for ordering a pizza and getting fat. She wanted her son.

Hugging her body close, her face contorted as her anguish did not lessen. She had been strong, so strong. But reading the letter now, she just couldn't stop it as everything lurking on the surface just swelled up. Her throat was dry and her head hurt, but the sheer feeling of desperation and wanting for her son didn't show any signs of fading. It was a pain worse than anything else, a pain no mother should feel.

Two years ago, Sally had lost what she cherished the most. _Percy never came back_. His life had been sacrificed for the greater good, in the war against Giants. Her wish of seeing him again hadn't come true, and wasn't going to be fulfilled. When the delivery for the books had been made, she had let them stay in his room because she was so worried for him. She had planned to read them later, but never did. Only if she had, she would have spotted the letter crammed in a small side inside the box. Percy had definitely packed it.

Sally remembered hugging Annabeth when she had come with the news, her eyes dull and visible tear marks all around her face. It didn't look like the girl had stopped crying ever since. As soon as had heard the words leave the daughter of Athena, her body had gone cold and her legs gave in for her to crumple on the ground. If it hadn't been for Annabeth's support, Sally would have ended up hurting the baby she was going to have soon. She remembered the look that never left the blonde girl, the emptiness that would follow her to her grave. Annabeth Chase had died the same day, and all that was left was an empty husk of what she used to be. Pursuing a path of being single for the rest of her life, Sally had become a motherly figure to her. The irony in that.

Another sob racked her, remembering the shine in those sea green eyes. His funeral was a haze, even the pry burned for him and the presence of Poseidon, looking grim and torn. He stopped having children, and there was no child of Poseidon after Percy. A gaping hole had been created in the lives of everyone who he had touched, a hole the biggest for Sally. A hole that she would have to carry until her last breath, unfilled yet urged for. Percy was a legend in the camp, even more so that anyone preceding him. Sally wanted to tell him how proud she was of him, and how all his imperfections didn't matter to her. He had brought colour in her life, now black and white.

Losing your own child is something no parent should suffer from. It's an empty void that no money, no pleasure can fill. Sally knew it better than anyone, and had even written a book on why taking your own life affects others more than they think. Everyone is equally important, no matter what anyone says or feels. Everyone has the right to live. There is light beyond darkness, no matter how far away. That was what Percy had fought for, and what he had sacrificed himself for. The greater good didn't mean the good of some, it meant the good of everyone. It was just a matter of finding it.

She would never lose that letter. She would show it to Annabeth, who needed it the most. She was more affected than anyone else, having lost the love of her life after going through so much. She had gotten paler, her skin clinging on to her bones with a dead look in her once vibrant irises. Sally imagined Percy's face if he was alive right now. He would be in college, with Annabeth at his side to take care of him. Gods knew he needed someone like that, in all his cheekiness. She knew that he would always call her, talking about everything he wanted to talk about. He would be here when she was feeling sick, when his little sister needed help. He would be the light in her life, the Hero of Olympus. Correction, he would be and definitely is the Hero of Humanity.

Her love would never fade. She knew he would be happy in Elysium, hoping for her happiness and everyone's along with it. For all she knew, he would already have made Elysium better than it already was. That was how he was. Affecting everyone around is what a human is. You can neglect them, ignore them or hurt them. You can deny their achievements, their presence and their purpose. What you cannot do is deny their humanity, or how they affect your life. Every touch, every word and every victory, even defeat shapes the world. An ocean is made of drops of water, equally valuable no matter how much you deny their tiny presence. Nothing deserves to die before they've lived and seen the light beyond what's shadowing them. Percy was an example of that. His very aura brought hope, a warmth like his mother.

Even though he had left her, his memories hadn't. They never would. Every smile, every tear and every hint or emotion affected Sally in a way she couldn't express in words. Percy had given himself up so that billions others could live. Sally was determined to make sure they do, that his purpose would be fulfilled. Her books were now full of inspiration, of finding purpose and standing strong under pressure. Petty things shouldn't affect anyone. Demigods stand against monsters, against vile creatures and heavy odds. They are humans at heart, and they will to protect the world. They are shrugged for their disabilities, they aren't famous for what they do. They don't get appreciation or even respect from the outside world. Yet, they are ready to give their lives. Sally could only imagine what it would be like to be them. To live a life unsure, without luxury. To find happiness in small things, to enjoy every day like the last.

With a small smile on her face, she finally understood why Percy had given himself to the hands of death. It wasn't because he had to, but because he wanted to. In her eyes, her son wasn't dead. His legacy would live on forever. The world was safe because of his unrecognized sacrifice. The roller-coaster of emotions finally settled on a feeling of pride for her dead son. She got up, the letter never leaving her hand and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her. She never noticed the dust laden framed picture of a fourteen year old raven haired boy with sparkling sea green eyes smiling at her departing figure with no care on his face.

 _The blue cookies had been untouched, after all._


End file.
